The shuttle — named for the iconic "Star Trek" ship — is now housed in a 19,000-square-foot steel pavilion at Pier 84 featuring 17 new exhibits on NASA's space shuttle program. Museum officials cut a ribbon on the pavilion Wednesday afternoon, and then opened the doors to dozens of waiting visitors.

“[The opening] symbolizes that New York City is, bit by bit, recovering from the storm,” said Susan Marenoff-Zausner, the museum president.

The Enterprise was on display for barely three months before Hurricane Sandy struck, inundating the museum with 6 feet of salt water and destroying its welcome center and electrical system, officials said. Backup generators soon gave out, leading the original, inflatable space shuttle pavilion to collapse in on itself. The shuttle was not damaged.

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